Taxes…done!

It is the job I tend to put off. Today, with a vacation to a warm destination looming, I decided having taxes done could only enhance my trip. I gritted my teeth, pulled out files, added and subtracted and pulled up Turbo Tax.

My taxes are not difficult. I don’t own multiple homes, have millions in stocks and bonds or have any dependents. Easy peasy. Except I always feel like I’m doing something wrong. I fear I’ve missed something, or misinterpreted some rule, and I imagine the dreaded IRS knocking on my door.

Okay, let’s break for a reality check here. Turbo tax walks me through each step. I can go back if I realized I’ve forgotten something. It supposedly asks questions that would point out any glaring omissions. At the end they go over it again. Then you file and they go over it again. In fact before you hit ‘send’, they calculate your risk of being audited. My risk is always so small, it almost doesn’t register on the chart. And I’m pretty sure the IRS doesn’t just come knocking on your door.

Still, every time I do taxes, I feel like I’m driving on back ice. Slippery and dangerous. I feel like I’m driving the speed limit, see a policeman in my car mirror and reflexively lift my foot off the gas. But they are done to the best of my ability and I am basking in the knowledge that this thankless is job is done for another year.